Gay Refugee Pride in Kakuma Camp, turns out To Be Cause For Trouble And Death Threats

Mbaziira Moses is  a 25 year old Ugandan refugee who chose to leave Uganda due to Uganda’s treatment of persons who are labelled “Homosexuals.” He now stays at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. He left Uganda in 2016 following multiple arrests and beatings by law enforcement due to his sexuality. He recalled an August 2016 incident in which police raided a gay social event at a bar in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, that was the final straw that  made him flee his home country. 

Recently, Mbaziira and a team of other LGBTIQQ organized a pride event. They wanted to make it an event for self determination as well as awareness tasing about their plight as a persecuted people.

Sources other than word of mouth, claim that after the event, which drew approximately 600 people, threatening messages were “pinned all over the camp on notice boards.” 

This was done in the cover of the night and the notices are so many and well written. This points to a well organized meticulous planner inside the camp. Someone must have written and posted the threatening notices. They warned LGBTQ refugees to “leave the camp” or “we are going to kill you one by one.” 

There is fear among all the LGBTIQQ. It must be known that Kakuma in the Northern part of Kenya, is one of the largest refugee camps in the world. It was established in 1992 and is run by the U.N. Refugee Agency. The camp, along with its 2015 expansion site, the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, have a cumulative population of about 185,000 people, according to refugee agency. The refugees and asylum-seekers living at the two sites come from 19 countries, though more than half are South Sudanese.

Pride Kakuma Camp in Kenya (Photo courtesy of Rainbow Flag Kakuma)

Posted warning to LGBTIQQ refugees at Kakuma Camp in Kenya contains death threat (Photo courtesy of Rainbow Flag Kakuma)

 Pride Kakuma Camp in Kenya (Photo courtesy of Rainbow Flag Kakuma)